Ja Morant Unhappy with Grizzlies Coaching Staff; Appears to Have Quit on His Team Tonight; *UPDATE*: Ja Suspended 1 Game

[doogie_hauser]

They traded away 2 legit starters in Bane and Brooks, two key components in them winning games. Those are unforced errors.

Ja is a maniac but a lot easier to trade when he's leading a 50+ win team vs some sub .500 junkpile.

I don't see the Bane trade as an error. They got a very good return for him. Bane isn't exactly lighting it up in ORL. But really the trade was a way to add draft capital, opening up a longer timeline to build around youth. The Grizz were not a championship contender with Bane. The trade was an acknowledgement of that. They sold high on Bane to a team that was desperate enough for outside shooting that it was willing to overpay. Good trade.

They won 50+ games with the intact team in an arguably better western conference.

Melting down the team to get picks to then hope to draft good enough players so they can win 44 games by 2028 seems silly to me.

It has to be said the Grizz tried desperately to acquire Jimmy Butler last season with an extremely good offer to Miami (some would argue too generous) but the problem was, Butler was not willing to sign an extension there.

This is an issue that smaller market teams constantly face in trying to build a contender,

The Grizz owners probably decided they have to try a new tact (although i think in hindsight they probably should have traded Ja last season and didn't fire Jenkins, although their new Euro coach seems to be doing a good job under the circumstances)

This argument just all comes around again to Morant and what a destabilising force he has become.

I actually hope the Lakers trade for him, cause its going to blow up in their faces.

After all the money and faith The Grizzlies have paid him and stuck by him through all his transgressions over the years, he is a real ingrate and selfish idiot whom I wouldn't want at my team for all of the Treasures in Tutankhamen's Tomb.

There is no I in team Ja, sadly I don't think he will ever understand that.

I suspect most other teams GMs know this too and that's why the trade market/options for Ja will be limited.

I could see the Clippers being silly enough to trade for him though,

[The Laker Kid]

I actually hope the Lakers trade for him, cause its going to blow up in their faces.

For Bronny, I'm willing to take a chance.

[doogie_hauser]

I actually hope the Lakers trade for him, cause its going to blow up in their faces.

For Bronny, I'm willing to take a chance.

I still reckon there's an NBA player somewhere in Bronny (just not at the Lakers)

[Lalouie]

whelp...now ja is free to go out and do some mischief

[Lalouie]

I actually hope the Lakers trade for him, cause its going to blow up in their faces.

For Bronny, I'm willing to take a chance.

ja can't play with luka,,,or lebron when he gets back

how many ball dominant players do you want,,,,FIVE?

[RingoKid]

He belongs at the Pelicans with Zion.

[CobraCommander]

We haven’t had a career implosion like this in a while, especially without any injuries involved. Unfortunately there’s just not a lot to hold over his head if he’s determined to be a child. Even if he got cut tmw and nobody picked him up, he’s already made $100 million for barely 300 games. Generational wealth for minimal effort.

this feels like Zion without the diet and OF girls issues - these guys will wake up at 32 and have that John Wall moment...where they will wonder why their phone isn't ringing and lebron might be playing at 45 and they will be done.

[CobraCommander]

He belongs at the Pelicans with Zion.

they would go 0-82 but lead sport center with the dunk of the day...lose by 30 but mean mug and dunk on the world...and make max money...

[CobraCommander]

For Bronny, I'm willing to take a chance.

ja can't play with luka,,,or lebron when he gets back

how many ball dominant players do you want,,,,FIVE?

you wouldn't want to give up bronny for a guy that doesn't play team ball...the grizzlies will need to throw in draft picks and maybe some cash.

[HMFFL]

It's the beginning of the season and "calling out" your star player for having a bad game is idiotic.

Just move him. Both parties should move on at this point. Memphis sucks anyway, go back to Vancouver.

"Just move on"

And that's possibly what Ja wants but he can request to be traded if he wants.

The franchise and Memphis are the victims. Ja has still not grown up.

[doogie_hauser]

It's the beginning of the season and "calling out" your star player for having a bad game is idiotic.

Just move him. Both parties should move on at this point. Memphis sucks anyway, go back to Vancouver.

"Just move on"

And that's possibly what Ja wants but he can ask request to be traded if he wants.

The franchise and Memphis are the victims. Ja has still not grown up.

Ja doesn't deserve to be traded to be a contender/big market team.

He should be forced to serve his penance for the rest of his contract at Utah, Charlotte or Washington.

If he didn't want to be there, JA shouldn't have signed that max extension with them a couple of years ago.

Ja arguably cost a great coach and good man in Taylor Jenkins his job because he didn't like the discipline and team orientated game plan Jenks had.

[robbie84]

Coach Issalo dont play games and Ja ain't ready to man up and take responsibility as a leader.
This is a rare case where the coach is so freaking good that I could see them moving Ja in a stand off between the two. Issalo doesn't care. He's too professional and he understands if he cant call his best players out on their BS, then the team is lost.
Interesting stand off coming up. I'm rooting for coach.

[robbie84]

Why didn't the Griz just keep the same young team together anyway? They're garbage now

That's not really fair.

They are a small market team that will always find it difficult to attact big names and stars
They got a very good return for Desmond Bane and some very good and exciting young players

Their front office incorrectly bet on Ja Morant turning his off field antics aside and now will probably need to trade him at a sunk cost.

Playing in the West doesn't help either when geographically they should be in The East.

Overall they need to move from JA and trade him as soon as possible.

They have arguably the best basketball coach in the world. They'll be fine. Ja has only two options:
1) comply
2) get traded
The Grizz aren't firing Issalo for any punk player.

[Gusto1903]

Coach Issalo dont play games and Ja ain't ready to man up and take responsibility as a leader.
This is a rare case where the coach is so freaking good that I could see them moving Ja in a stand off between the two. Issalo doesn't care. He's too professional and he understands if he cant call his best players out on their BS, then the team is lost.
Interesting stand off coming up. I'm rooting for coach.

definitely rooting for the coach
Coaches need to have stronger standings in the NBA in general. Euroball nearly stands and falls with the coach. the only legendary coaches in the last 20 years in the nba have been Pop, Spo and Carlisle. There have been so many pushovers and scapegoat dummy coaches, that people think, its the normality.

[Jailblazers7]

I’m waiting for a team like Houston to buy low on him and cash in some of their war chest.

[Castle Black]

Horrible trend for a guy who's a poor outside shooter. Not sure many teams would be willing to give up assets for this, especially when the player's a head-case who's owed $107M over the next 2 and a half years.

Read on Twitter

[Castle Black]

Read on Twitter

[SA37]

MIA and LAL are getting ready to offer Herro and Reaves package for Ja.

If Miami really has doubts about extending Herro at 40+M/season, it'd be worth looking into a swap for Ja.

Miami would have to do its due diligence through back channels on Ja and see where things stand with him off the court, but Ja has a skillset that Miami sorely lacks. That said, my guess is Memphis's asking price would put Miami off of Morant.

I don't see the Lakers having any interest in Morant. I do think there are some other interesting swap options, like Morant for Trae Young or a deal around Morant for Immanuel Quickly.

[hauntedcomputer]

People dreaming big in here but I am starting to wonder if the Grizz have to attach picks to get rid of him. Forty to forty-five million a year is a lot of scratch under the new CBA for a deeply flawed player, even without the chronic head injury.

Schadenfreude is undefeated.

[HMFFL]

It's the beginning of the season and "calling out" your star player for having a bad game is idiotic.

Just move him. Both parties should move on at this point. Memphis sucks anyway, go back to Vancouver.

"Just move on"

And that's possibly what Ja wants but he can ask request to be traded if he wants.

The franchise and Memphis are the victims. Ja has still not grown up.

Ja doesn't deserve to be traded to be a contender/big market team.

He should be forced to serve his penance for the rest of his contract at Utah, Charlotte or Washington.

If he didn't want to be there, JA shouldn't have signed that max extension with them a couple of years ago.

Ja arguably cost a great coach and good man in Taylor Jenkins his job because he didn't like the discipline and team orientated game plan Jenks had.

Any bottom feeder team that needs to reach the minimum team payroll of $140m might be interested. Teams may expect Memphis to include more value. I think buyout talks will become a possibility in another year if Ja stays the course.

The amount of endorsements Ja has is concerning to me due to companies actually supporting him. Profit is Profit! Nike's stock has been on a downward spirial for awhile now. Ja certainly hasn't helped.

I have liked Taylor Jenkins ever since he was part of the Hawks organization in 13-14 (I believe).